University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
Atlantic 10 Championship
Hines, Brackett Help Spiders Increase Lead On Day Three In Buffalo
02/25/2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 25, 2011
• Results: Day 3 | Day 2 | Day 1
• Live Scoring | Saturday Live Video | Coach Barany's Blog
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Sophomore Lauren Hines and junior Charlotte Brackett each broke conference and school records, while the 400 medley relay claimed gold as the Richmond women's swimming & diving team extended its lead on Day Three of the Atlantic 10 Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.
The Spiders have amassed 529 points through three days, and head to Saturday's final session with a 101-point lead over second-place Fordham.
Hines, a native of Roanoke, Va. and the defending A-10 Rookie of the Year, is making her case to be the Performer of the Year in 2011 as she blitzed the field in the 100 back. The sophomore was clocked at 52.76, breaking the school and conference records and achieving a "B-cut."
Her time, which missed an NCAA "A-cut" by .21 seconds, ranks as the 10th-fastest 100 back time recorded in the NCAA this season.
"Lauren was nervous tonight," said head coach Matt Barany. "But she nailed each wall and killed her last 25. It was total team participation. The way it should be."
Also in the 100 back championship finals, senior Nicole LePere was third in 54.20 and senior Jill Smaniotto was eighth in 57.56.
The Spider relays kept their stranglehold on the meet, winning for the fourth time in three nights - this time the 400 medley relay. The team of LePere, Kobelja, Smaniotto and Vucic was clocked in 3:44.93.
"We had a plan for the night," said Barany. "If the plan went well, we knew we'd find ourselves with Mina anchoring the last relay. The plan went well and she chased down the leaders to win it."
Richmond used the 200 free to stockpile crucial points as seven Spiders scored, including four in the championship finals and the winning one-two punch from Charlotte Brackett and Jessie Krebs.
Brackett, a junior, re-broke the A-10 and school records by putting down a winning "B-cut" time of 1:48.85, after she initially broke both records in this morning's prelims. Krebs, a freshman, finished second in a blazing fast 1:49.18.
Junior Alexi Kuska was fourth (1:51.39) and junior Michelle Johnson was fifth (1:52.09, Liz Cohan was 10th (1:52.51), Chrissy Brodt was 11th (1:52.61) and Natalie Lewis was 12th (1:52.97).
Freshman Mary Anne Lerro in 15th (1:07.74).
Smaniotto led three Spiders in the 100 fly as she finished second in 56.92. Freshman Laura Jordan was 12th (57.70) and sophomore Mina Vucic was 16th (59.22).
Freshman Mariel Kush was the lone Spider in the 400 IM and the rookie placed seventh in 4:31.20.
On the 3-meter board, sophomore Carrine Mettus was 15th (143.30) and freshman Margot Hillyer was 16th (140.70).
Rounding out the women's' standings are Massachusetts (313), La Salle (233.5), St. Bonaventure (228), Duquesne (219.5), Rhode Island (182.5), St. Louis (163), George Washington (154.5) and St. Xavier (142).
The final day of competition is Saturday with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. and finals beginning at 6:30 p.m.
